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“It’s okay, Scarlet,” the River Alchemist said, patting my foot. “We’ll teach you to win while barely lifting a finger.”

I kicked out again, only because it was easier than acknowledging that they were actually going to help me, and what that meant. I’d never had real teachers before, unless I counted Wenshu, and his teaching style was basically yelling at me to rewrite characters. No one had ever cared whether I succeeded. No one had ever thought I was worth their time. As the Paper and River Alchemists took off my shoes and pretended to throw them over the wall if I tried kicking again, I wondered just how much I would be able to learn if I wasn’t fighting against the entire world.

And more importantly, how could these people be the ones making the monsters that were running around the city?

“Why is my alchemist in a tree?”

The alchemists below me froze, dropping my shoes. The Moon Alchemist appeared from behind another tree, arms crossed.

“Youralchemist?” I said.

“She climbed it,” the Paper Alchemist said, shrugging. “Nothing to do with us at all.”

“She was sleeping in the library anyway!” the River Alchemist added as I aimed a kick at her head.

The Moon Alchemist sighed, then reached up and grabbed a low-hanging branch. The tree instantly dropped me to the ground, the sheet of ice crackling underneath me.

“Well, this has been fun, Scarlet, but we have important business to return to,” the Paper Alchemist said, rapidly backing away, the River Alchemist close behind her. The Moon Alchemist rolled her eyes as they departed, then glared down at me.

“I wasn’t actually sleeping,” I said, before she could scold me. “I just closed my eyes for a moment.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the Moon Alchemist said, her voice flat. “You’re done for today.”

I tried to stand up but slipped on the ice and found myself kneeling at the Moon Alchemist’s feet. “I’m sorry, I can go back to studying now. I just—”

“You’re not in trouble,” the Moon Alchemist said, gazing somewhere over the wall, her expression gray. “The prince has sent for you.”

I crossed my arms. “Well, it’s not sunset yet, so he can wait.”

The Moon Alchemist shook her head. “He’s sent for you now so that you have time to get ready. The Empress wants you to attend her dinner tonight.”

“Oh,” I said, sinking back to my knees. I wasn’t particularly eager to make small talk with a scheming Empress, but I hadn’t eaten meat in ages and couldn’t help imagining what a royal dinner would entail. An entire pig? A whole deer? Maybe even a bear? But the Moon Alchemist looked like she’d just invited me to a funeral.

“Is this bad news?” I said.

She pressed her lips together. “Personally, I prefer not to dine with the Empress.”

That’s easy for you to say, since you’ve lived in a palace for a century, I thought. I preferred not to do a lot of things as well, but most of life’s unpleasantries didn’t come with a feast.

“It’s what the Empress wants, so don’t overthink it. You don’t have a choice,” the Moon Alchemist said, turning to the faint ghost of the moon overhead, just starting to brighten before nightfall. “Just do as she says, and everything will be fine.”

“I’m sorry,” the prince said. I glared at his reflection in the mirror while a servant brushed my hair and stabbed jeweled combs into it. She’d already manhandled me into a gold dress, choked me with a jade necklace, and slapped powder on my face. Now she was determined to skewer hairpins straight through my skull into my brain. Apparently my red dress wasn’t formal enough for this occasion, despite it being by far the nicest clothing I’d ever owned. That gave me high expectations for the food, if nothing else.

“Mother insisted on inviting you,” he said, cradling my alchemy duck. “I tried to talk her out of it, but she is—” his gaze drifted to the servant, who was undoubtedly listening “—not easily swayed.”

“Why is everyone so solemn about dinner?” I said. Then a horrible thought crossed my mind. “I won’t have to eat gold, will I?”

“Have to?”the prince said, frowning. “You don’t want to?”

“I don’t want to look seventeen forever,” I said. My body was still wiry like a grasshopper. I hoped that in a few more years I would start growing out instead of up.

“But you’re...” The prince hesitated, clamping his mouth shut as he blushed.

“I’mwhat?” I said, narrowing my eyes.

He shook his head. “I’m just surprised you want to change,” he said to the floor. “It doesn’t matter, the Empress wouldn’t give you gold. You’re not part of the royal family.”

“Small mercies,” I said. If Iwerepart of the family, I would probably be dead already. “How long have you been eating gold, anyway?”